Insufflator



July 26, 1960 M. sAcKs 2,946,332

INSUFFLATOR Filed Dec. 23, 1957 ATTORNEY nited States Patent INSUFFLATOR Milton Sacks, East Meadow, N.Y., assign-or to Nysco Laboratories, Inc., Long Island City, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 23,1957, Ser. No. 704,641 '6'Claims, (Cl. 128-266) 7 a medicinally active powder into the nasal cavity or other body cavity.

It is often highly desirable to apply a measured quantity of a medicinal powder to the surface of a body cavity such as the nasal cavity. This has heretofore been effected ordinarily by spraying the airborne powder into the body cavity. Insufilators have been proposed which; employ a cartridge containing a measured quantity of powder. This cartridge may take the form of the conventional hard gelatin capsule. However, when such a capsule is employed it requires either puncturing before use, or. it is provided with one or more openings, sealed by a removable element. In any event, the procedure is bothersome and often results in the loss of some of the powder medicament.

It is thus-a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved powder dispensing device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved insufilator.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved insuffiator capable of dispensingra measured amount of a medicinal powder.

A further object'ofthe present invention is to provideanimproved insuffiator employing as a charge or cartridge a capsule containing a measured quantity of a medicinal powder.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an improved insufilator employing as a charge an initially sealed hard gelatin capsule containing a measured quantity of a medicinal powder.

The above and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure l is an exploded view of the improved insufiiator, shown partially broken away and partially in section;

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of the assembled insuifiator, illustrated in capped condition;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 2.

In a sense, the present invention contemplates the provision of an improved insuffiator comprising a body member having formed therein a longitudinal bore extending to a discharge end and an enlarged cavity in axial communication with said bore, said cavity being adapted to removably receive a medicament-containing capsule; means for directing a flow of air through said cavity and said bore; and a lance member adapted to register with said bore and extend through said cavity, said lance member being provided at its outer end with a head of greater width than said bore.

Referring now to the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the improved ice insufliator comprises a body member including a tubular barrel 10 adapted to receive and house a medicinal powder containing hard gelatin capsule 12 and a closure defining nozzle member 14 which is detachably associated with the barrel 10. Also included is a source of compressed air in the form of a compressible rubber bulb 16 and a lance member 18 which serves as a cap for the insufilator nozzle 14.

-Barrel 10 is of elongated hollow cylindrical configuration having a cavity 20 for the reception of a cylindrical capsule formed in its upper end, the upper edge of barrel 10 being provided with an outwardly directed peripheral flange 22. The lower end of barrel 10 is of reduced outer diameter as at 24 and is provided with an axial bore 26 of lesser cross section than that of cavity 20. Bore 26 communicates with the cavity 20 by way of an, intermediate bore 28, provided with inwardly directed axially extending ribs 30- the upper ends of which define- -aseat for the capsule 12, the confronting edges of ribs 30 being spaced from the axis of barrel 10 a distance less than the radius of thecapsule 12. It should be noted that the diameter of the capsule 12 is somewhat less than the diameter of the cavity 20 to permit ready insertion. of. the capsule thereinto, and also to provide an air passage betweenthe confronting faces of the capsule 12 and the cavity 20.

face of barrel flange 22, When the nozzle 14 is attached,

to the barrel 10; Extending upwardly from, the inter mediate portion of-the nozzle 14 is a discharge end 38' terminating in a rounded portion 40 to facilitate the.

insertion of the nozzle into the nasal cavity. The underfaceof the shank 32-has radial grooves 42 formedtherein which extend from axial bore of the nozzle 14 to the outer; face of shank 32 thereby to provide for the passage of air about capsule 12.

The lance member 18 includes a cap 44 having upwardly and inwardly tapered walls 46 which terminate in a solid frusto-conical top portion 48. Depending from the top 48 of cap 44 and coaxial with cap 44 is a tubular member 50 which terminates in a beveled edge 52 approximately midway between the ends of cap 44 and communicates with a coaxial bore 54 in the top portion 48 of cap 44. A metal needle 56 permanently registers with bore 54 and tubular member 5i) and terminates in a point 58 which is disposed slightly above the lower edge 45 of cap 44.

It should be noted that the outer diameter of member 50 is slightly less than the axial bore in nozzle 14 to permit a free sliding engagement between tube 50 and the bore in the nozzle 14. The relative lengths of tube 50 and the depending portion of needle 56 are such that when cap or lance member 18 engages nozzle 14, as illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawing, and the underface 36 of the upper portion 48 of the cap abuts the upper end of nozzle 14, the lower end 52 of member 50 is slightly above the lower end of the nozzle. 14, and the pointed end of needle 56 is below the capsule seat defined by the upper end of the ribs 30. Furthermore, in the preferred form of the device, when barrel 10 and nozzle 14 are in assembled condition the spacing between the confronting faces of nozzle 14 and the upper ends of ribs 30 which define the capsule seat is such as firmly to engage the opposite ends of capsule 12. Barrel 10, nozzle 14 and lance member 18 are preferably formed of a syn- Immediately thetic organic thermoplastic material, such as polystyrene, by injection molding, and needle 56 may be embedded in the tubular or rod member 50 concurrent with the molding of lance member 18. V p A The-lowerportion 24 of barrel is engaged by an upwardly directed tubular neck 60 formed integrally with the compressible rubber bulb 16. The lower end of bulb 16 is provided with an opening which is provided with a conventional one-Way valve 63 and. a second one- Way valve 65 is disposed in the base of the neck 69. The valves 63 and 65 are oriented in a manner well known so as to permit the passage of air only into the bulb through valve 63 and only out of the bulb through the barrel member bore by way of valve 65.

In operation, nozzle 14 and lance member 18 are separated from the barrel 10 and a capsule 12 containing a medicinal powder inserted into the barrel cavity 20, resting atop the seat defined by the upper ends of ribs having formed in its upper'end' an elongated, longitudi- 30. The nozzle 14 is then applied to the barrel 10, shank 32 registering with cavity and the capsule 12 being firmly engaged between the shank 32 and the upper faces of the ribs 30, a free air passage being afiorded between the confronting faces of cavity 20 and capsule 12. Lance member 18 is then applied to the nozzle 14 and urged to its lowermost position so that needle end 58 pierces and passes completely through the opposite ends of the capsule. The lance member 18 is then removed from the nozzle 14 and the latter inserted into the nasal cavity. Bulb 16 is compressed one or 'more times so that a portion of the air travels through the capsule 12 by way of the pierced openings formed through the opposite ends thereof and also around capsule 12 and through grooves 42 into the nozzle 14. The medicinal powder thus expressed from the capsule 12 is carried by the air into the nasal cavity.

In the event that the capsule 12 has not been depleted after the desired dosage has been dispensed, the cap or lance 18 is reapplied tothe nozzle 14, the needle 56 passing through the pierced openings in the capsule 12 to seal the opposite end thereof thereby inhibiting any leakage of the medicinal powder while the insufliator is stored. By removing the cap further dosages of the medicinal powder may be dispensed. Upon depletion of the contents of capsule 12 the nozzle 14 is removed and the exhausted capsule 12 is replaced by a full capsule.

nally extending capsulereceiving cavity provided with U a capsule seat at the base thereof and having formed in its lower end a borecommunicating with said cavity, a source-of compressed air communicating with said bore, a tubular nozzle separably secured to'said barrel upper end and communicating with said cavity, said tubular nozzle having an axial bore formed therein, and a lance member removably registering with said nozzle bore and having a needle portion extending for at least the full length of said cavity, said lance member terminating at its outer end in a head of greater width than said nozzle bore.

2. An improved insufilator in accordance with claim 1, wherein said lance member head is defined by a cap releasably engaging said nozzle.

3. An improved insufliator in accordance with claim 2 wherein said needle portion is disposed entirely within said cap.

4. An improved insufilator in accordance with claim 1,

including a rod member slidably engaging said nozzle bore, said needle portion of said needle being embedded in said rod member and being axial therewith.

5.- An improved insutliator in accordance with claim 4, wherein said rod member terminates at a point located above the lower end of said nozzle.

6. An improved insufflator in accordance with claim 1, wherein the spacing between said capsule seat and the confronting end of said nozzle is substantially equal to the height of said capsule receiving cavity.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,151,418 Bolte Mar. 21, 1939 2,722,935 Thompson et a1. Nov. 8, 1955 2,744,527 Barrett et al May 8, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 639,855 Germany Dec. 14, 1936 

